Eriksson playing it safe

When Sven-Goran Eriksson finally unveiled his European Championship squad this afternoon there were the usual knowledgeable smiles from the great football arenas, including Highbury, Old Trafford, Anfield and Wanstead Flats.

Wanstead Flats? Yes, the nation's most productive boys' club could have three former players in the England squad in Portugal next month.

Ledley King and John Terry were today named in Eriksson's 23-man squad and Jermain Defoe was placed on standby.

All three played local junior football in east London for Senrab, who over a period of 30 years have produced a stream of top-class players, including former England captain Ray Wilkins.

Senrab's enduring success means that every weekend scouts from the Premier League monitor the progress of their young players on Wanstead Flats.

Defoe, the 22-year-old striker Spurs signed from West Ham for £7million in January, is one of their most recent success stories.

Although omitted from Eriksson's 23-man party he will be first in line to come in if any players are injured between now and 2 June, the deadline for finalising selection.

Eriksson has named Aston Villa's Darius Vassell ahead of Defoe, though he is taking the Spurs' striker to the training camp in Sardinia and will use him in the warm-up games against Japan and Iceland in Manchester. This could, of course, present Eriksson with a dilemma, especially if Defoe impresses in training or against Japan before the squad deadline.

Will the England manager be able to ignore Defoe's claims even if there are no injury problems?

Michael Owen, with 24 goals from 54 games is England's most reliable source of goals. But his Liverpool clubmate, Emile Heskey has played 40 matches - but scored only five.

Defoe, who made an impressive debut as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat in Sweden in March is an instinctive scorer with a predator's appetite for goals. If he gets a late call into the squad he will feel at home, with his team-mate King and former colleagues from West Ham, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard, already installed in the party.

King deservedly gets a place among the centre-backs because of the absence of Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate and Gareth Southgate.

The 6ft 2in Spurs defender remains a fledgling at international level but demonstrated an encouraging level of maturity when scoring in the 1-1 draw in Portugal in February. That was his only start in an England shirt.

Chelsea's Terry, and Sol Campbell of Arsenal, will be the first-choice centre-backs, with King and the versatile Jamie Carragher providing cover.

Eriksson, as expected, relies on tried and trusted personnel and there are no uncapped players in his squad.

David Beckham is the most experienced, with 66 caps, and King and Leicester City goalkeeper Ian Walker are the least experienced, with three each.

The real strength of the squad is in midfield, where Eriksson can call upon quality players such as Beckham, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard, who could be asked to fill an unfamiliar role on the left side of midfield.